5 Veggie-Based Breakfast Smoothies

Today we’re talking about breakfast smoothies. But these aren’t just any breakfast smoothies. Each of these incorporates some vegetables and protein into the mix. Lately it’s been a goal of mine to start every weekday with some vegetables, but salads just aren’t appealing at 7:30am, so I usually turn to a veggie-based smoothie.

We are working with BodyLab on this post (sign up for their #BeTheGirl challenge with JLo now!), and we used their TastyShake Classic Vanilla and Decadent Chocolate Fudge whey protein powder to add a little creaminess, great taste, and protein to these shakes. I’ve mentioned on the blog before that I used to think protein powder was just for men. I’m so glad I got over that mindset because adding a little protein powder to my morning smoothie really makes all the difference. It’s so good!

I’ll share with you my all time favorite green smoothie. But if you’re anything like me, then you probably get bored of eating the same thing everyday. I like to shake it up (pun intended). So here are five of my current favorite breakfast smoothies. With a little bit of prep on the weekend, you can have these ready to go in under five minutes every morning during the week.

My number one tip for making vegetable-based smoothies is to blend the vegetables well with a little water in a food processor and then freeze into ice cubes. You can make a whole tray of just spinach or kale, or make a tray of different vegetables if you want to try different smoothie flavors throughout the week. If you do this on the weekend (I usually do this Sunday afternoon or evening), then you’ll be ready for the whole week.

I do this with spinach, kale, carrots (with a handful of unsweetened coconut flakes tossed in), and beets. For bananas and avocados, I simply remove the peels, cube, and then freeze in a ziplock bag.

I love freezing vegetables (and fruit) for a lot of reasons. First, it makes putting your smoothie together in the morning a snap. Second, you can prep a lot at once so you aren’t making vegetable ice cubes every night. And third, it ensures that your vegetables won’t go bad before you can consume all of them. I always feel bummed when I buy a big bag of spinach and 1/3 of it gets gooey before I can get around to using it all. Freezing it helps prevent this but still locks in most of the nutrition.

OK, let’s make some smoothies!

1. Beet and Strawberry

First up is a surprise favorite. Blend together 1-2 frozen cubes of beets, 5-6 whole frozen strawberries, 1/2 to 1 scoop TastyShake Classic Vanilla protein powder, and 8 oz. cashew milk.* Let this blend on high for a couple minutes so the smoothie gets well mixed.

*Throughout these recipes I use cashew milk because I prefer it, but you could use almond or soy milk instead if you like. Whatever you use, I do recommend keeping it unsweetened because the flavor of these is SO good without any added sweeteners. 🙂

2. & 3. Spinach and Banana (chocolate OR vanilla)

I probably make this one the most. To make this one you’ll need: 1/2 frozen banana, 2-3 frozen cubes of spinach*, 1/2 to 1 scoop TastyShake Classic Vanilla protein powder, and 8 oz. cashew milk. Blend well. This one is actually the most green in color, but I think tastes the least vegetable-y. Weird, right?

To change this one up a little, simply swap out the vanilla powder for chocolate. So good!

*I most often use spinach, but you could easily use another green leafy vegetable that you love or that’s in season, like kale.

4. Chocolate Avocado

This one is the creamiest. I swear it almost tastes like a chocolate milkshake! For a chocolate avocado smoothie, simply blend together: 1-2 frozen avocados (lately mine have had major dark spots inside, so I usually open two but only get about one avocado out of them), 1/2 to 1 scoop TastyShake Decadent Chocolate Fudge protein powder, and 8 oz. cashew milk.

Avocados are so good for you and they make smoothies super creamy. If you’re not a fan of bananas, you can use frozen avocados instead in the last recipe—just so you know. 🙂

5. Carrot, Coconut, and Orange

This one is super light and bright tasting. It’s almost like a juice, but you don’t need a juicer. For a carrot, coconut, and orange smoothie, blend together: 2-3 cubes of frozen carrot/coconut, juice from 2 oranges, and 1/2 to 1 scoop of TastyShake Classic Vanilla protein powder. Blend well!

This post could not have come at a better time, I’ve been needing more items for my weekly meal preps and have been getting bored with my current morning routine. I would never have thought to do chocolate and avocado, but I could totally see the creamy part of it working very well! Thanks for sharing! x

I am eager to try these!! I have to omit the whey powder because my tum-tum does NOT like ANY powdered proteins (whey, soy, flax). Do you have any tips to add the flavor in? I’m thinking a teaspoon of vanilla extract or some cocoa powder. I’m going to try having these with a hard-boiled egg on the side in the mornings. I LOVE the advice to make the veggie ice cubes!!! Yay!!!

YUM!! I love thick smoothies for breakfast and vegetables are always part of my recipe! I love beets, but also frozen zuchinni and squash – no flavor, but lots of nutrients! 🙂 Thanks for the awesome inspiration!

a recommendation for those who are even shorter on time: you can always make your frozen ingredients and then separate them into individual “smoothie packs”. it saves time in the long run. i just use ziplock bags and label them, so i can them wash them out and reuse them. it makes it easier when i don’t have as much time to get ready.

Oh my!!! These all sound amazing! Especially the avocado one, and the carrot one!!!
I need to get my hands on a food processor so I can try the cubed vegetables too 🙂 Love this post so much, I’ve saved it for future reference!

Yes, vanilla extract or cocoa powder would work well. Go easy on the extract though, a little goes a long way plus many extracts are made from alcohol. You likely won’t be using that much so I wouldn’t worry, but just a heads up. 🙂

I had the same problem. Now I try to freeze almost anything that’s about to go bad. You can even freeze veggies for other purposes (like soups or adding to pasta sauces, etc.). Just keep in mind that for most standard ice cube trays each cube is around 2 tablespoons. It can be easy to add too much if you’re freezing fresh herbs so just keep those proportions in mind. 🙂

The ones with banana or orange juice are much sweeter than the others, with or without the protein powder. For me, more than sweetness they add a little more flavor (vanilla or chocolate, depending). But you can always add a little honey if you like. 🙂

I am new to the smoothie rage. I like your idea of freezing your veggies in ice cube trays. But I have one question do you put the cubes in freezer bags once they are frozen. I promise I am not an idiot but didn’t see it in the blog.

Sheer Genius!! Vegetable Cubes! LOVE it!! I hate waste, whether its food or money, and produce gone gooey before you can use it all is both! Thank you Thank you Thank you!!! You just made my life simpler and more frugal! 😀
P.S. Love your site!! Sooo many great things on here!

I lost two careers, USMC & LE, due to Ulcerative Colitis. I had my entire colon, portion of my small bowels, and the top small portion of my rectum. Then they implanted a j-pouch. I’ve had a 13 inch scar tissue wrapped around my intestines removed along with a large polyp that grew in the pouch. I’m unable to eat vegetables and then I came across your recipes. Now I can get my veggies and it tastes great! Two questions, the first is a bit silly I think. For the avocado smoothie, is it frozen cubes or entire avocados? Second, do you offer any other recipes ?